My fantastic “new” mangle

In true downsizery spirit, in preparation for my move into a vardo I’ve bought myself a mangle off eBay. It arrived today and I love it! It was made by Acme in the 1950s, clamps onto a collapsible frame and is in perfect working order; tried a soaking wet flannel on it and the result was as good as using a spin dryer! Oh the simple things

gil

Sounds wonderful !

earthyvirgo

Re: My fantastic “new” mangle

Cobnut wrote:

In true downsizery spirit, in preparation for my move into a vardo I’ve bought myself a mangle off eBay. It arrived today and I love it! It was made by Acme in the 1950s, clamps onto a collapsible frame and is in perfect working order; tried a soaking wet flannel on it and the result was as good as using a spin dryer! Oh the simple things

I love my mangles, I've got 3. One needs to have the rollers refurbished but the other two work perfectly. A big old one on a collapsible frame for bedding and a modern, smaller one, mounted over the sink for everything else.

I'm trying keep the rubber in good condition, so I've got into the habit of washing down with warm clean water and taking off the pressure after each use.

Much easier on the wrists than wringing.

mochyn

I'd love a mangle.

windyridge

mochyn wrote:

I'd love a mangle.

I would love one too... but I want to use it to do embossing for covers for the books I make!

jaki

dpack

Re: My fantastic “new” mangle

earthyvirgo wrote:

Cobnut wrote:

In true downsizery spirit, in preparation for my move into a vardo I’ve bought myself a mangle off eBay. It arrived today and I love it! It was made by Acme in the 1950s, clamps onto a collapsible frame and is in perfect working order; tried a soaking wet flannel on it and the result was as good as using a spin dryer! Oh the simple things

Don't let me near it, they make fantastic etching presses

EV

for small plates they are ace

my grandad added a 1/4 horespower electric motor and half a dozen big cogs to my grans ,no guards but no handle to turn bonkers thing but it dried washing ,i now have a vivid memory of clanking metal and hot soap

Cobnut

I did a proper clothes washing without a washing machine “dress rehearsal” yesterday and it was pretty successful. I found a large container, about twice the height of a bucket, in my garage (I knew it would come in useful one day!), filled with hot water and detergent and was able to get almost as much in it as I can in the washing machine! Left it to soak for a while then went at it with my eBay old copper washing posser. What a brilliant thing that is! Scrubbed the dirtier bits with soap and the wash board (another eBay buy) then once through the mangle to remove the soapy water. 3 rinses in cold water, through the mangle, on the line and all nearly dry by the end of the day. Result!

mochyn wrote:

I'd love a mangle.

They come up on eBay quite often. There are a few at the mo, and if you save a search for “mangle” or “clothes wringer” on you’ll get an email whenever they are listed. Problem is most are collection only which rules them out if they're the other side of the country

The names used do vary, but this extract explains it:
“...The milking-stool-on-a-broomstick contraption to the right is generally called a dolly nowadays, but was also a dolly-legs, dolly-pegs, peggy, or maiden, in different parts of Britain. The metal cones on a handle (left) are usually possers in the UK, or plungers in the US, but can also be called dollies, possing-sticks, or poshers. Some people used sticks with grooved blocks of wood on the end, called dollies or ponches. (For "punching" the laundry)...”
http://www.oldandinteresting.com/washing-dollies.aspx

Ty Gwyn

Thanks,
Seems regional

cassy

Cobnut wrote:

I did a proper clothes washing without a washing machine “dress rehearsal” yesterday and it was pretty successful.

So glad it went well! Soon you'll be wondering why you ever bothered with a machine. Just think, never having to wait for the washing machine repair man or search for the best/cheapest new machine when the one you've spent hundreds on part for, finally gives up the ghost. And you can have carbon neutral washing (if that's something that interests you) and get the washing done in a power cut ...

I do wonder what my Gran would have thought though. She gave her poss stick to a local museum and was very happy with her twin tub. Although I would love to use her poss stick, I think she would think I was mad to be doing the washing this way when I could use a machine instead.

shadiya

That's pretty impressive Cobnut. I've been thinking about a mangle and trying to psych myself up to doing the washing by hand but so far, have always retreated to the launderette, where one can legitimately read or knit or something, so as to ensure that perverts don't make off with your underwear!

Have to admit, that doing all my washing by hand is one bit of downsizing I've tried to ignore, I shall have to look at it again. How long do you reckon you spent on it?

Making your own bread/ sock / sausages or whatever is so much easier to get enthusiastic about, specially when you are as idle as I am!

Any suggestions on mangle purchasing? Should I look for a particular make? I'm thinking in terms of availability of spares etc

gz

Re: My fantastic “new” mangle

[quote="earthyvirgo"]

Don't let me near it, they make fantastic etching presses

EV[/quote

and good clay slab rollers too

Cobnut

cassy wrote:

Cobnut wrote:

I did a proper clothes washing without a washing machine “dress rehearsal” yesterday and it was pretty successful.

So glad it went well!...

Thanks, so am I! I’ll probably continue using the washing machine until I move out of the cottage though, but it’s great to know I can do a decent load of washing entirely without electricity without too much bother.

shadiya wrote:

…Have to admit, that doing all my washing by hand is one bit of downsizing I've tried to ignore, I shall have to look at it again. How long do you reckon you spent on it?...

...Any suggestions on mangle purchasing? Should I look for a particular make? I'm thinking in terms of availability of spares etc

From start to finish it took 1 hour to wash about 2 thirds the amount I can get in my washing machine, but about half that time was letting it soak though; about 15 minutes before the first bit of possing, then another soak, then another play with the posser. It wasn’t as hard work as I thought it was going to be either.

As far as I know mangles aren’t being made anymore in this country, but Lehmans in America make them (and sell spare rollers) and I think they will post them here. I suppose if you’re after a mangle that will stay at home then you have lots of choice as many 2nd hand ones come up on eBay. But I needed one that was as portable as possible as I’ll be nomadic, so I went for the Acme with it’s own fold up stand.

I can do a week's worth of washing, for 2 people, excluding bedding in an hour and a half.

This includes lugging the water by hand though, so I'm hoping to be quicker once there is running water available. I've been pleasantly surprised that it's not as hard work as people said it would be. Maybe their idea of hard work and mine is different.

I did start a spreadsheet to try to figure out if it would be a better use of my time to earn the money to run the machine or to do it by hand. It worked out at 8 hours a year more work to do it by hand, but this did not take into account the embodied energy of the systems or the freedom from consumerism, which is worth more than 8 hours a year to me.

I've taken to doing a bit of dyeing while I'm out doing the laundry too and that gets another job done which I would not usually have/make time for.

shadiya

Wow, I'm impressed and feel humble. I'm going to definitely move doing the washing by hand up the list of things to do. Especially as it means that first I have to buy a mangle which means ebay

How I love an excuse to spend money on necessary items! If only my bank manager was a bit more understanding....

evie2

I've seen 2 mangles on ebay but they're in the North of Scotland and I'm not heading home any time soon

Mutton

I like mangles as technology, so not knocking your new mangle, but I wouldn't want to give up my washing machine.

I remember my father talking about doing the weekly wash with a dolly.
His mother was a tiny lady with massive hands from all the hand work she did, including turning mangle, wringing by hand etc. OH's grandmas were the same.

Did anyone watch the Edwardian House the other year - when a big stately home was run for the summer by "servants" for the benefit of the "gentry"? They interviewed everyone at the end. The girl playing the head maid said that her grandma had been a maid and by the time she knew her grandma, her hands were very weak and floppy. She'd worn out her hands. She'd always wondered how on earth her grandma could have worn out her hands, but having done the job of maid for three months she really, really knew.

I've had to hand wash in my time, with and without mangle at different places. With mangle is better BUT give me a washing machine any day. Currently run it on a timer to use overnight electricity. One day will add solar powered hot water to that.

gz

I had a mangle when I lived in Garn Dolbenmaen. Proper one with big wooden rollers, much easier than the ones with small rollers

It did "eat" buttuns though

One of the things that couldn't move South with us

lowri

I seem to remember from my Social History, that in the 19th century, in coal-mining families, the mangle was an incredibly important part of the cottage economy.
If there were a fatal pit accident, and the widow was left to cope, it was said
"Oh, well, she'll be all right, she's got a mangle", meaning she could make a sort of living taking in washing. I also remember that communities would raise funds to get a mangle for a widow if she hadn't got one.
Slightly off-subject, early photos of working women sometimes feature a woman wearing a man's cap - she would be a widow who had become breadwinner and head of the household.